Luo Zhengfei was not just in a bad condition, but it was extremely terrible. He was about to say something when he noticed something unusual about his body - yes, as the anesthesia wore off, the wound on his leg started to throb intensely, diverting his attention instantly. Luo Zhengfei asked, "What happened to my leg?"
The doctor wore a hesitant expression upon hearing this and said, "You accidentally broke it."
"Accidentally broke it?" Ever since Luo Zhengfei held power, there were very few people who dared to speak to him in such a manner. He coldly questioned, "Can you tell me how I accidentally broke it?"
Cold sweat formed on the doctor's forehead. In fact, this person in front of him had been admitted to the hospital several times, and each time, he was covered in injuries, which did make one feel sympathy. However, what use was sympathy? The person responsible for causing the wounds was someone they couldn't possibly provoke.
In the past, Mr. Chen had always maintained a cold and distant attitude. But today, he unexpectedly asked who had injured him. Could there be a problem with his mental state? The attending physician became even more troubled when this thought crossed his mind.
"Speak," Luo Zhengfei, who was in a position of authority, exuded an air of confidence. His cold and piercing gaze made the doctor and nurse break out in cold sweat.
Fortunately, at that moment, the culprit appeared on his own.
When Luo Zhengfei saw the person walking in from the door, he was completely stunned. He was looking at a man who looked exactly like him, calmly entering the room with a lunchbox in his hand. However, whether it was his gaze or his demeanor, it emitted a rather uncomfortable feeling.
It's quite interesting, in a person's lifetime, they only see themselves through photographs and mirrors, but they have never truly seen themselves with their own eyes. Yet, Luo Zhengfei had the fortune to "see" another Luo Zhengfei.
It was a younger Luo Zhengfei, seemingly not yet thirty years old. Just a slight furrow of his brow was enough to convey his anger and dissatisfaction.
"What are you all doing?" the other Luo Zhengfei said. "Didn't I tell you not to disturb him? Do you think everything I say is nonsense?"
The doctor and nurse didn't dare to say anything and glanced sympathetically at Luo Zhengfei before quickly leaving the room. It seemed like they didn't want to stay for even a minute longer.
The other Luo Zhengfei stood by the bedside, coldly uttering three words, "Chen Qianqing."
This sound, like a thunderous roar, made Luo Zhengfei's mind dizzy. He finally grasped some clues from the absurd conversation, and these clues all pointed to a terrifying fact.
"I want to see a mirror," Luo Zhengfei said. "Show me a mirror."
The younger Luo Zhengfei sneered, "What trick are you trying to pull now?"
Ignoring him, Luo Zhengfei repeated his words with a serious expression. The younger Luo Zhengfei furrowed his brows, stared at Luo Zhengfei for a long time, then got up and casually threw a mirror from the table to Luo Zhengfei.
Luo Zhengfei's hand trembled. He took a deep breath and looked at his reflection in the mirror - the guess was true.
In the mirror was the face that Luo Zhengfei had admired for ten years. At this moment, he hadn't yet become emaciated, his dimples and beautiful eyes, everything was telling Luo Zhengfei one thing - he had become Chen Qianqing, the person he loved the most, the person he had personally killed.
The other Luo Zhengfei, standing beside him, saw the shocked and dazed expression on the person on the bed. The corner of his eyebrow slightly raised as if he was questioning what was wrong.
Luo Zhengfei, or rather Chen Qianqing, silently handed the mirror back to Luo Zhengfei and stopped speaking.
"Speak," Luo Zhengfei didn't like Chen Qianqing's silent demeanor. Every time it happened, he would feel that this person in front of him was drifting further away. So he decisively reached out and grabbed Chen Qianqing's chin, saying, "Do you have the guts to run away but not the guts to speak?"
Chen Qianqing's chin was painfully held, and if it were the original Chen Qianqing, he would probably have already started arguing with Luo Zhengfei. But now, with Chen Qianqing's soul replaced by Luo Zhengfei's, he only furrowed his brows slightly and said, "It hurts."
Luo Zhengfei immediately let go.
Chen Qianqing, who was once a good-looking person, had a stubborn personality and ran away countless times, refusing to compromise with Lu Zhengfei. When Lu Zhengfei was young, he had a fiery temper and broke Chen Qianqing's legs several times.
Yes, several times.
No one understood Lu Zhengfei's thoughts better than Chen Qianqing at this moment, so he temporarily compromised.
"Can I be alone for a while?" Chen Qianqing said.
Since Lu Zhengfei started forcing Chen Qianqing, he had never seen Chen Qianqing with such a gentle attitude, let alone this negotiating tone. So when he heard this, he froze for a moment before coldly saying, "Take good care of your injuries."
Chen Qianqing nodded and watched Lu Zhengfei leave.
The room was left with Chen Qianqing alone. He raised his left hand, which had no IV, and carefully stared at the slender joints, fair skin, and pink nails. Then, he covered his face with this hand and burst into tears.
He became his lover, willing to pay the price for everything he had done, to personally experience the humiliation Chen Qianqing had endured.
After Lu Zhengfei left, he didn't go far, but entered the monitoring room. The room where Chen Qianqing lived had a very complete surveillance system, with almost every corner monitored.
Lu Zhengfei thought that after he left, Chen Qianqing would either lie down and sleep or be idle for a while, but he didn't expect Chen Qianqing to start crying with his face covered.
The first time Lu Zhengfei forced Chen Qianqing, Chen Qianqing didn't cry. Not only did he not cry, but he almost smashed Lu Zhengfei's head with a vase. The first time Lu Zhengfei hit Chen Qianqing, he didn't cry either. But today, Lu Zhengfei saw Chen Qianqing hunching his shoulders, covering his face with his hand, and crying like a child.
Lu Zhengfei successfully monitored everything and didn't say or do anything. He just took out a cigarette from his pocket and smoked it.
Chen Qianqing cried for a long time. When he stopped, he silently wiped away the tears and looked down at his slender and fair hand, which should have been used to play the piano.
The real Chen Qianqing had already left. Now it was Lu Zhengfei who came to atone, and he could only swear to fulfill Chen Qianqing's dreams in this lifetime and endure the torture that Chen Qianqing had once suffered.
Lu Zhengfei entered the ward after Chen Qianqing finished crying. Chen Qianqing still had red eyes, but his gaze had regained its coldness. When he looked at Lu Zhengfei, there was no longer the hatred and loathing that Lu Zhengfei disliked, only indifference. It was as if the person in front of him could no longer evoke any extra emotions from him.
Lu Zhengfei felt a kind of inexplicable uneasiness.
"I won't run away again," Chen Qianqing said. "I want to go back to school."
While the two were in silence, Chen Qianqing suddenly made this request, catching Lu Zhengfei off guard. But he would agree to anything Chen Qianqing asked, except for letting Chen Qianqing leave him.
How could Chen Qianqing not know what Lu Zhengfei was thinking? He looked at Lu Zhengfei as if he was looking at himself. Through eye contact, conversation, and facial expressions, Chen Qianqing could tell exactly what Lu Zhengfei was thinking.
"You can assign someone to watch over me. I won't run away again," said Chen Qianqing. It was impossible for Chen Qianqing, an ordinary person, to escape from Lu Zhengfei's hands.
Lu Zhengfei contemplated for a moment and surprisingly nodded, "First, take care of your legs."
"Okay," Chen Qianqing didn't say anything else and closed his eyes again.
Chen Qianqing's first escape was when he was a junior in college. At the age of twenty, Chen Qianqing secretly bought a train ticket behind Lu Zhengfei's back and fled from Lu Zhengfei's home under the cover of night. However, shortly after arriving at the train station, Chen Qianqing was caught.
He was directly brought back to the Lu family and had his legs broken by Lu Zhengfei himself.
In the days that followed, Chen Qianqing, with his broken legs, refused to compromise. As a result, Lu Zhengfei deprived him of the right to go to school and kept him locked up at home until he tried to escape again.
Chen Qianqing remained silent, and Lu Zhengfei also quieted down. He sat for a while before getting up and leaving. However, from his expression, he seemed much more relaxed, without the initial tension when he entered.
Chen Qianqing didn't want to talk to Lu Zhengfei. Every time he saw Lu Zhengfei, he was reminded of the foolish things he had done. And now, his current situation was the true punishment for him, the best punishment for Chen Qianqing.
The pain from his broken legs was excruciating, but Chen Qianqing didn't make a sound when his wounds were being dressed. It was as if he didn't feel any pain at all, except for the slight paleness on his face that gave it away.
The doctor noticed something unusual about Chen Qianqing and quickly informed Lu Zhengfei.
"Mr. Chen's condition is not good," said the attending doctor, who was an orthopedic specialist and felt powerless in the field of psychology. "It seems to be a psychological problem... He doesn't eat much and doesn't talk much either."
How could Lu Zhengfei not have noticed Chen Qianqing's problem? Upon hearing the doctor's words, he simply nodded.
"I suggest consulting a psychologist," the attending doctor said. "I can't be of much help in this area."
"I understand," Lu Zhengfei replied. "I will make arrangements."
The attending doctor hesitated for a moment and then said, "Mr. Lu... Mr. Chen's physical condition is not very good... Perhaps you should exercise some restraint."
Lu Zhengfei's initially fine complexion instantly darkened. He knew exactly what the doctor meant, but hearing him say it made Lu Zhengfei unhappy.
"Mind your own business," Lu Zhengfei coldly retorted. "Don't worry about things you shouldn't worry about."
The doctor's face stiffened, repeatedly apologizing before turning and leaving without saying anything else.
Once the doctor was gone, Lu Zhengfei furrowed his brow and muttered quietly to himself, "Is my technique that bad? Why does he never enjoy it?" And even if they did reach that point, Chen Qianqing's expression always looked as if he was facing a death sentence, which greatly disappointed Lu Zhengfei.